The Myths and Realities of Today's Market

By Lou Ludwig, CIPS, CRB, CRS, e-PRO, GRI, Real Estate Business Magazine, October/November 2006

Recently, a real estate agent from Sarasota, Fla., who had enrolled in a training course I was teaching, shared with me that she was no longer accepting listings. She explained that she currently had nine listings and none of them were selling. When I asked her if any of her previous listings had sold, she stated they were taking between 60 to 150 days to sell. I asked her how many listings she had at this time last year. She replied one. I polled the other students in the class, asking them who had stopped farming. More than 90% of the class said they were no longer farming. I proceeded to ask who had stopped accepting listings, and more than 50% of the students responded that they were no longer accepting listings.

This response is repeating itself class after class. Owner/brokers are seeing sales associates who are unable to cope with or do not possess the skills to effectively navigate through the current market conditions. Listings are, and will continue to be, the lifeblood of the real estate industry; this is not the time to stop farming or to stop accepting listings.